Remember Resist: 20th Anniversary Memorial for the Montreal Massacre

Every community has its own way of commemorating December 6th. Vancouver Rape Relief and Women’s Shelter uses this opportunity each year to take over public space (the main branch of the Vancouver Public Library) for a public education event.

This year, the Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women, held on December 5th, brought together a diverse group of feminists to talk about male violence against women and strategies for addressing it. The public was invited to engage by attending monologues by feminist speakers, listening to roundtable dialogues among feminist activists, watching feminist films and participating in an interactive activity called “Walk in her shoes.”

The result was an exciting, dynamic and thought-provoking day, in which I had the privilege of participating.

A number of topics were on the agenda, including:

• Fighting racism by ending the trafficking and prostitution of women
  
• Fighting the normalization of patriarchy in the forms of cultural relativism, prostitution and religion
  
• Fighting for political, social economic and physical autonomy for women
  
• Resisting capitalism, state power and prostitution in the 2010 Olympics
  
• The impact of fathers’ rights organizations on public discourse and public policy about custody and access
  
• Holding the state accountable on violence against women
  
• Trafficking, prostitution and tourism
  
• Women’s experiences in prison

Whatever the issue, the strategies for action were rooted in an anti-racist, anti-imperialism, feminist analysis and the dialogues and discussions were creative and challenging.

By day’s end, both presenters and participants were left with a feeling of hope that by continuing to educate ourselves and the larger public and by finding ways to work together, through and across differences, we actually will be able to create a world in which women can live free from violence and the threat of violence.

You can learn more about Vancouver Rape Relief and Women’s Shelter or make a donation (VRRWS takes no government funding) by visiting their website: www.rapereliefshelter.bc.ca.

To read my remarks at this event about fathers’ rights, custody and public policy, please click here.